Yeah, I know, shut up and get on with it already. ::grin:: Guess what, readers? This is,
except for the epilogue, the last chapter. That's it. El fin. L'extrémité. Das Ende.
L'estremità. Owari. Done, done, done.
Excited yet?
Good. This is an action-packed chapter and I hope ya'll like it.
Enjoy.
GUIDE
: Ryou to Bakura :
: : Bakura to Ryou : :
Blah is thoughts
-----
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to the park. I didn't even want to think what might
happen if we were late. At the park, I glanced around, unsure where to go. The place was
covered several city blocks in every direction. I had two minutes to decide and get there.
Finally deciding that it would be the most secluded place, I took off, hoping that this time
I was right.
I headed for the exact center of the park, where a line of trees would block anyone from
seeing it from the street. Sure enough, as I broke through the treeline, there sat pompous
asshole himself, all calm on a park bench, a glass of wine in one hand. He smiled.
"Ah, I see you figured it out, and just in time, too," he said. I glared, but said nothing.
"Why so silent? Aren't you concerned about your friends?" I stayed quiet. He was right, I
was concerned, but I knew better than to open my mouth. I had to keep calm. "Very well,
remain mute. It matters not to me. I'll get what I want either way." I quirked an eyebrow
ever so slightly. "You see, I am after my Sennen Eye and the other Items, but not just that
my dear snow-haired boy! I am after something else..." he trailed off, a smirk on his face.
He was trying to incite me, I knew, but I remained stoic. "Revenge, dear boy. You and
your dark half helped in causing me to lose my chance to bring Cecilia back, and for that I
can never forgive you. I will destroy you as you tried to destroy me. Your two
companions as well, just because they got in the way."
"Try it," I said. His visible eye glowered at me, but I said nothing.
"So confident this time around! If I remember correctly, you cowered in fear last time until
your dark half took control. Pathetic," he growled. "Let's see you prove your worth, shall
we?"
He started laughing, then faded away right in front of me. It was a hologram! I narrowed
my eyes and looked around, but couldn't see anything. I closed my eyes and tried to focus
my senses like I had been taught. I heard movement to my right. I opened my eyes and
blocked the kick that had come flying at me. It wasn't Pegasus, but Croquet. He grinned
and began attacking me with everything he had. It was even until a thought of what might
be happening to Bakura, Malik, and Marik while I wasted time with him. That gave me a
renewed burst of energy and I managed to get a solid hit in the mid-section, followed by a
quick, but powerful sock to the jaw. He was down and wasn't going to be fighting back
any time soon.
I grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him up slightly off the ground. "Where are they?!" I
demanded.
"The warehouse by the pier... number seven..." he said, then went limp. He was out cold. I
dropped him and took off for the pier.
-----
When I arrived, I wanted nothing more than to charge in and beat the shit out of anyone
who crossed my path, but I knew I had to keep my wits about me. I approached with
caution. I slipped in through a side door and held my breath while I waited for my eyes to
adjust to the dim light. The moon had risen by now and allowed me to see enough without
running into anything. Looking up, I saw my comrades hanging from the ceiling, their
hand bound and hung over a large hook. My mouth grew dry, but as I crept nearer, I
could see Malik's chest rising and falling. If he was alive, then Marik was. I still was, so
Bakura had to be. They were, thankfully, just unconcious. It didn't pass me by that Bakura
had the knife underneath his shirt; I tucked that bit of knowledge away for later, just in
case. From where I was crouched, I could a sliver of the sheath from where his shirt had
pulled up.
I glanced around, but saw nothing. Did I risk trying to free them, or lay in wait? This night
had been full of so many choices. I wasn't used to having to rely on myself to make so
many decisions at once. I knew I had to get Pegasus and whatever goons he had out in the
open, but I didn't dare reveal where I was. I needed a decoy, and I was seriously
regretting telling the others to leave. It was too late now. I had to go with I had, which
was... machinery.
I slipped along the shadows towards a fork lift. Glancing in the cockpit, I saw no keys.
Seemed like Lady Luck was coming anywhere near me tonight. Removing a small knife
from my toolkit, I quickly hotwired it and jammed into a gear, dashing back into the
shadows as it roared to life and took off like a bat out of hell into the open. Several lights
flared to life, and I saw some familiar-looking men in suits run out, guns drawn. I ducked
back behind some crates, and looked around. Pegasus was standing on an upper catwalk
at the far end of the room, looking flustered.
"Find him!" he shouted, and the suits split up.
Not wanting to be caught, I dodged and dashed my way through the crates, working my
way back towards my comrades and Pegasus. I climbed up a pole as fast as I could, but
not fast enough. I narrowly avoided be shot, rolling out of the way onto the catwalk just in
time. I stood up and began to run towards Pegasus, but a suit cut me off with a round of
gunfire and I was forced to take cover in a room. There, on a table, laid the Sennen Rod.
As another round of gunfire sounded, a plan formed in my mind.
I grabbed the Rod and ran out the room, jumping off the catwalk and snagging a chain
hook similar to the one that my companions were hanging from. I swung like Tarzan over
to it, releasing the hidden blade inside the Rod as I went. I slid down to them and began
sawing at the ropes, trying to keep the chain swinging so as to not give any of the suits a
clear shot at us.
"Malik, Marik, wake up! Bakura, if you don't wake up right now I'll let them shoot you!"
I screamed.
"R-Ryou? What's going on?" It was Malik.
"Long story," I said. Marik came to then and began cursing in ancient Egyptian. Bakura
still didn't wake up. "You're guys are gonna fall, try and catch Bakura and wake him up!"
I said. The ropes finally gave and they fell. Marik more or less caught Bakura, who was
half-awake by then. I tossed the Rod to Malik. "Get them under control!"
I didn't stick around long enough to find out if he did or not. When the chain swung near
the catwalk, I lept and managed to roll as I landed. Pegasus was running, heading for the
roof. I followed, but when I reached the roof, he was no where to be found. I heard
footsteps behind me on the stairs, and jumped out of the way in time. It was two
trigger-happy suits. I ducked behind one of the large air ducts and tried to get my
breathing under control.
I heard several bursts of gunfire, then silence. I felt rather than heard someone coming,
and as they came around, I swung a fist at them. I stopped less than three inches from
Bakura's face. He grinned.
"What the fuck took you so damn long?" he asked. I was still too on edge to answer.
"Pegasus is up here," I said. "Did he get the Eye?" Bakura shook his head.
"I wouldn't give it up, so he set this up to try and get you to. He forced us unconscious
with the Rod," he explained, his tone laced with barely contained disgust.
I wasn't paying attention, though. Out of the corner of my eye I saw another suit aiming a
gun at us. Without thinking, I pulled my knife out of its sheath underneath Bakura's shirt
and threw it as hard as I could in one swift motion. It landed dead-on in his heart. He was
dead before he hit the ground.
I didn't have time to register what I had done, as Pegasus appeared out of nowhere and
shot me in the arm. I let a yelp loose and clutched my left arm. I took cover behind
another air duct. I didn't know where Bakura had went. Damn, the pain was killing me! It
hadn't gone in or anything, just sliced through the outer edge below my tattoo, but it
burned. Dammit, now what? I was thankful that the jackass was a bad shot, but I was
weaponless and wounded. I had to think of another plan, and quick.
I needed my knife back, but it was still lodged in the suit's chest, several yards away. :
Bakura? : I said, testing the mind link.
: : How bad did he get you? : : came the reply. I couldn't fully express the relief I felt at
hearing that voice in my mind again.
: It's a flesh wound, but hurts like a fucker. Where are you and where the hell is he? :
: : The same as you, behind an air duct two down from where you are. The bastard is
heading towards you, so get the hell out there, : : he said.
: Distract him, I'll make a break for my knife, : I said, not waiting for a response as I took
off.
I heard a bang, and it sound like Bakura had kicked the air duct. I reached for my knife
and tried to ignore the sucking sound it made as I pulled it out of the guy's chest. I turned
and threw it, but the pain in my arm caused my aim to be off. It hit him in the shoulder, but
he didn't drop the gun. He turned and fired at me, but missed. Bakura came up and
yanked my knife out of his back and kicked him to the ground. I walked up, clutching my
arm, and kicked the gun out of Pegasus's hand.
"It's over," I said, rolling him over with my foot, which I promptly placed on his chest. I
knelt down and glared at him. "You fucked with the wrong people, Pegasus. You hurt my
friends and comrades, the only true family I have left in this world. I'm going to make this
very clear. You even so much as think about doing anything like this again and I'll have
you begging to be killed, do you understand me?"
He said nothing, only groaned in pain. I stood up and began walking away, Bakura at my
side. I saw Malik and Marik arrive, covered in blood. I hoped none of it was theirs.
What happened next is a blur. I heard a bang, and felt a pain in my back. I heard someone
calling my name, but I wasn't aware of who. I reacted on instinct, yanking my knife out of
Bakura's hand and threw it one more time. This time, I didn't miss. The last thing I saw
before passing out was my knife sticking out where Pegasus's left eye had once been.
A/N: Bad place to end, ne? Maybe, but it's a good place to start for an epilogue. And
don't worry, it won't be one of those short, three paragraph wrap-ups. Honest. Cross my
heart. I swear by my former Girl Scout-ness. ::holds up three fingers and says the Girl
Scout promise:: Happy?
Yep, three days' time. Just think, it'll be ready for the holidays!
'Til then...